The present disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to a system and method of modulating an airflow into a variable vane system for a gas turbine engine.
Gas turbine engines, such as those that power modern commercial and military aircraft, generally include a compressor section to pressurize an airflow, a combustor section for burning a hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of the pressurized air, and a turbine section to extract energy from the resultant combustion gases.
Some gas turbine engines include variable vanes that can be pivoted about their individual axes to change an operational performance characteristic. Rotating the vane airfoil at different performance points changes the characteristics of the flow and causes changes in pressure and external heat-transfer. These changes may have a negative impact on component life if not properly managed. Designing airfoil cooling to operate at some of the most challenging (durability) points can result in a component that is over-cooled at other flight points.